Lamptey and Ghana out of World Cup – taking Uruguay with them
Tariq Lamptey and Ghana would not have wanted their World Cup adventure to have ended so soon, but at least they managed to take Uruguay out with them.
There is little love lost between these two nations thanks to a certain Luis Suarez. The Uruguay forward was responsible for one of the most controversial moments in football history back in 2010, when his deliberate handball denied Ghana a winning goal which would have made them the first African country to reach the semi finals of a World Cup.
Ghana missed the penalty awarded because of Suarez’s piece of incredible cheating. The game subsequently finished level and had to be decided on spot kicks, where Uruguay triumphed to make the final four.
That famous match from South Africa dominated the build up to Ghana v Uruguay in 2022. Lamptey would have been just 10 at the time of the previous clash, living in London and playing in the academy at Chelsea.
Little could he have known that 12 years later, he would be part of the Ghana squad seeking revenge on their tormentor Suarez and the whole of Uruguay in a World Cup grudge match.
Lamptey though will have been left in no doubt about the importance of this revenge mission. Victory for Ghana over Uruguay would have taken them through to the knockout stages, but failing that the Black Stars aim was to stop Uruguay progressing.
Unfortunately for Lamptey, he played no part in the dramatic 90 minutes which followed. He was dropped to the bench having been at fault for a South Korea goal in Ghana’s last game, despite the Black Stars eventually edging a five-goal thriller 3-2 against Son Heung-min and Co.
History repeated itself in the first half at the Al Janoub Stadium when Ghana were awarded and missed a penalty. For Asamoah Gyan in 2010, read Andre Ayew in 2022; the former Swansea City winger’s spot kick repelled by Uruguay goalkeeper Sergio Rochet.
Five minutes after Ayew fluffed his lines and Uruguay had the lead. A Suarez shot fell into the path of Giorgio de Arrascaeta to provide the finish.
Six minutes on from that and Uruguay doubled their advantage. Suarez flicked a lovely ball over a Ghana defender to De Arrascaeta to who hit a blistering volley into the back of the net.
At that point in time, Uruguay appeared to be going through to the second round. They then felt they should have had a penalty when one-time Brighton target Darwin Nunez went down in the box after a coming together with Alidu Seidu.
That moment increased in importance as the two games in Group H entered their closing stages. A goal assisted by Son and scored by Wolves striker Hwang Hee-chan at Education City Stadium put South Korea 2-1 ahead against Portgual, meaning that they would qualify for the round of 16 ahead of Uruguay by virtue of having scored one more goal.
The full time whistle blew on South Korea 2-1 Portugal six whole minutes before Uruguay against Ghana came to a close.
That gave Uruguay enough time to find a third goal which would sent them into the knockouts, although by that point both Suarez and Nunez had been taken off.
Uruguay failed, South Korea progressed and Ghana had their revenge. Uruguay took their elimination with typical good grace, confronting the referee and manhandling one of his assistants as a response to being denied the penalty which, if successfully converted, would have put them ahead of South Korea in the standings by a single goal.
Suarez shed tears of despair, whilst Son was crying with joy elsewhere in Qatar as South Korea advanced to a second round meeting with Brazil.
Lamptey joins Leandro Trossard and Ecuador trio Moises Caicedo, Pervis Estupinan and Jeremy Sarmiento in leaving Qatar after the group stage.
Still flying the flag for Brighton at the World Cup are Kaoru Mitoma, Alexis Mac Allister and Robert Sanchez. Japan, Argentina and Spain have all looked lively so far, so we may yet have an Albion player returning to Sussex with a World Cup winners medal.
As for Ghana, they can take solace from sparking that almighty Uruguay meltdown. The first steps of Lamptey’s international career have been full of drama and the Black Stars will have gained a lot of Sussex-based fans as a result of the entertainment.
